Pulsars, highly-magnetized, rotating neutron stars emitting electromagnetic radiation, are fascinating celestial objects. The fastest rotating ones, known as millisecond pulsars (MSPs), are particularly intriguing to astronomers. These MSPs are believed to form in binary systems, where the more massive component transforms into a neutron star and is then spun up due to matter accretion from the secondary star.
Astronomers, led by Laila Vleeschower of the University of Manchester, UK, have recently reported the discovery of three new millisecond pulsars in Messier 62 (M62). This globular cluster is already known to host seven binary pulsars, making it an exciting area of study for researchers.
The discovery was made as part of the TRAnsients and PUlsars with MeerKAT (TRAPUM) project, utilizing MeerKAT to identify these new pulsars, named M62H, M62I, and M62J.
All three of these newfound millisecond pulsars are part of binary systems, bringing the total number of binary pulsars in Messier 62 to 10. This prevalence of binary pulsars in M62 is surprising to astronomers, as it differs from what is typically observed in other globular clusters.
2024-03-29 06:00:03
Link from phys.org